"How many levies do we have," Quintus asked.
The council had been called and had been meeting in private, one at a time with the king for several days now. This was the first time all three governors and the King had met at the same time. Accompanied by the Pontifex from Rome as an advisor. Things looked bleak.
"Four" Titus replied. "One chariot, three spear and we're getting the bows made for some archers right now."
"And how many does Lucullus have marching right now?" Asked Publius Serro, governor of Neapolis. An old comrade of Quintus'
"From what information I'm getting out of Rome, " Pontius began," he has a total of about ten levies. Mostly drawn from Veii, Arpinum and Pisae. Antonius isnt providing any troops at all. Still caught up in building the Parthenon like his father. But he has begun issuing levy calls for Cumae and Ravenna, but only seasonal calls.
"
"So he's not planning on marching off to join Lucullus in Egypt." Titus said.
"No, if he's only called them up for a season, its local." Quintus answered. "My guess would be Veii. Which would mean he'd need a lot of spears."
"You think he'd attack his brother's city?" Titus questioned.
"I know he would," Publius replied. "He's had his eye on Veii ever since Lucullus became king years before he did and was holding it over his head for so long. Problem is he'd have to get by Sempronius who's commanding the walls of Veii right now. Any assualt on Veii is going to take a lot of men and is going to cost Rome greatly. "
"Which may be an opportunity for us," added Vattius, governor or Arretium. "Taking Veii is going to weaken him greatly. Maybe enough to make it worth while for us to move on Rome and put him and his brother down once and for all."
"No," Titus said with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to rip the latin people into a civil war when we're apparently already at war with someone else. What are Lucullus' chances?"
"Of winning?" Quintus asked. Titus nodded his head. "I'd say an impossibility. We've all seen Hatshepsut's guards when she came here last. What was it, ten years ago. We can't fight that and hope to win unless we have overwhelming numbers. And even then its a chancy proposition."
"How bad is it likely to be," Titus asked. "If its to bad, men of Reme may end up defending the whole of the Latin people, Rome included. Lucullus stripped the east bare for his campaign."
"It would be worse if most of the men marching werent Veii," Publius answered his king. "Those boys are warriors through and through. Been fighting season after season almost since the founding of the city. "
"Took on Rome once or twice when Antonius tried to throw his weight around to much too," Quintus added. "Any survivors of this campaign are likely to either be extremely favored by Mars or just plain Veii stubborn. And with Lucullus leading them....."
Titus nodded his head.
"He's a good commander. Whatever else he may be he's a great military commander.," he said.
The king sighed and glanced out the window of the chambers towards the pyramid that housed his father, and now his mother. What would Remus do. What could he have done.
"We're safe behind the mountains Titus," Pontius said softly. "Aztecs wont let the Serpent people cross their borders. Only one way they can strike at us."
"The pass at Pisae," Titus said. "Very well, until we can get Egypt to accept an envoy, we;ll march what levies we have to the pass and stay there. "
"We're not going to join Lucullus?"
"No, and neither is anyone else," Titus said firmly. "In fact, if we come across and Roman levies we're gonna grab them too. I don't care what Antonius has to say about it. We're going to hold the pass at Pisae with everything we have and try to get Hatshepsut to accept peace. It may take a while, but in the meantime Quintus, I need you to block the gulf as best you can. No one in or out. Especially anything bearing Antonius' insignia. I don't want him enflaming this any more than it already is. "
The king of Reme got to his feet and looked around at the assembled men.
"Its not going to be easy, but we don't have a choice. Thanks to Veii we're at war. Best we can hope to do while Veii is off aggravating our former friends is keep them from doing the same to the people. ALL of the people."
The council had been called and had been meeting in private, one at a time with the king for several days now. This was the first time all three governors and the King had met at the same time. Accompanied by the Pontifex from Rome as an advisor. Things looked bleak.
"Four" Titus replied. "One chariot, three spear and we're getting the bows made for some archers right now."
"And how many does Lucullus have marching right now?" Asked Publius Serro, governor of Neapolis. An old comrade of Quintus'
"From what information I'm getting out of Rome, " Pontius began," he has a total of about ten levies. Mostly drawn from Veii, Arpinum and Pisae. Antonius isnt providing any troops at all. Still caught up in building the Parthenon like his father. But he has begun issuing levy calls for Cumae and Ravenna, but only seasonal calls.
"
"So he's not planning on marching off to join Lucullus in Egypt." Titus said.
"No, if he's only called them up for a season, its local." Quintus answered. "My guess would be Veii. Which would mean he'd need a lot of spears."
"You think he'd attack his brother's city?" Titus questioned.
"I know he would," Publius replied. "He's had his eye on Veii ever since Lucullus became king years before he did and was holding it over his head for so long. Problem is he'd have to get by Sempronius who's commanding the walls of Veii right now. Any assualt on Veii is going to take a lot of men and is going to cost Rome greatly. "
"Which may be an opportunity for us," added Vattius, governor or Arretium. "Taking Veii is going to weaken him greatly. Maybe enough to make it worth while for us to move on Rome and put him and his brother down once and for all."
"No," Titus said with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to rip the latin people into a civil war when we're apparently already at war with someone else. What are Lucullus' chances?"
"Of winning?" Quintus asked. Titus nodded his head. "I'd say an impossibility. We've all seen Hatshepsut's guards when she came here last. What was it, ten years ago. We can't fight that and hope to win unless we have overwhelming numbers. And even then its a chancy proposition."
"How bad is it likely to be," Titus asked. "If its to bad, men of Reme may end up defending the whole of the Latin people, Rome included. Lucullus stripped the east bare for his campaign."
"It would be worse if most of the men marching werent Veii," Publius answered his king. "Those boys are warriors through and through. Been fighting season after season almost since the founding of the city. "
"Took on Rome once or twice when Antonius tried to throw his weight around to much too," Quintus added. "Any survivors of this campaign are likely to either be extremely favored by Mars or just plain Veii stubborn. And with Lucullus leading them....."
Titus nodded his head.
"He's a good commander. Whatever else he may be he's a great military commander.," he said.
The king sighed and glanced out the window of the chambers towards the pyramid that housed his father, and now his mother. What would Remus do. What could he have done.
"We're safe behind the mountains Titus," Pontius said softly. "Aztecs wont let the Serpent people cross their borders. Only one way they can strike at us."
"The pass at Pisae," Titus said. "Very well, until we can get Egypt to accept an envoy, we;ll march what levies we have to the pass and stay there. "
"We're not going to join Lucullus?"
"No, and neither is anyone else," Titus said firmly. "In fact, if we come across and Roman levies we're gonna grab them too. I don't care what Antonius has to say about it. We're going to hold the pass at Pisae with everything we have and try to get Hatshepsut to accept peace. It may take a while, but in the meantime Quintus, I need you to block the gulf as best you can. No one in or out. Especially anything bearing Antonius' insignia. I don't want him enflaming this any more than it already is. "
The king of Reme got to his feet and looked around at the assembled men.
"Its not going to be easy, but we don't have a choice. Thanks to Veii we're at war. Best we can hope to do while Veii is off aggravating our former friends is keep them from doing the same to the people. ALL of the people."